It's All In The Past
by smolragebaby
Summary: How long has it been... I just want answers... I understand that you hate me... Please... just let me die knowing it was worth it in the end... Post Soul Eater Manga fanfic. Will contain spoilers and probably heart ache. Reviews would be appreciated.
1. Should We Worry?

' _I believe in you… was that enough…'_

' _She hasn't tried to come back…'_

' _I wonder how long it's been… since I saw her face for the last time…'_

* * *

A light breeze hit the balcony, gently caressing the faces that stood looking at the view or mingling with friends. The bizarre sun began settle behind the horizon only for a black mass to resume its position in the sky. Most heard stories about what the moon use to look like, a grin that spread across the night unsettlingly. But few recalled seeing it. One of the few, Lord Death, stood on the balcony and watched the heaping black mass settle across the sky. Students headed home. Street lights turned on. Death City had grown yet still could have peaceful, quiet nights. He enjoyed it, remembering memories of his father.

The peace was interrupted by a teenage boy. "Lord Death, Maba-sama is waiting for you." The other sighed, turning towards the door.

"I thought you were at the mansion with your sister, Gael?" Lord Death inquired. The teen looked at him.

"She said she was feeling better so I thought I would stay to help you with the remaining paper work. I know its stressful job." Death smiled softly. "Thank you for helping. Head back, Maba and I would prefer to talk privately." The other understood and once Lord Death opened the door, he turned to head home.

"I thought our call was not until tomorrow?" He sat down.

"Still as orderly as usual, Kid." Her voice was soft and gentle yet the one eye pierced his soul.

"Please do not call me that. Why are you… Why did you call this late at night?"

"It is important. Some of our witches have reported unusual findings with the moon. The black blood sealing it still holds, but something seems wrong from the inside."

"Could Asura break free?"

"It is a small but unlikely possibility. That seal is likely to hold if the reports Maka Albarn had given us were accurate. BREW is an extremely powerful magical object. Asura could be trying to make a break, but will not succeed. It's held up for this long, I do not see why it would fail now." She spoke, not taking her eye off him.

"Since I have you on the line. We may as talk about the agenda that was supposed to be discussed in tomorrow's call." Kid sighed, but agreed seeing as he had nothing else to do for the night.

"I have taken notice of a few absent witches. Your students are still holding up their end correct?"

"If it eases your worries, I can check. But to my knowledge, they haven't killed witches nor would I authorize it without running it through you first. I haven't sensed anything either."

"Kid, I take this seriously. Our numbers are still small. Fewer and fewer witches are having any children nor have many been born regardless. We have only had 60 or so ever since Medusa's child and only a small percent of those were witches."

"I can tell the E.A.T class to keep a watchful eye if you provide names and pictures."

"I will accept that now we-." Screeching pierced the air, slightly cracking the glass. Kid covered his ears, but the shrill cries still pierced his skull. He tried getting up, but the force and irritation sent him to ground. It hurt to even think. The wailing lasted for what felt like hours, but ended within a few seconds. He felt as though the wind was knocked out him, the room spun and turned about as he attempted to stand back up.

"Kid? Kid are you alright?" The voice on the other end asked. Maba remained despite the damage done to the glass.

"Y-Yeah. What was that?" He steadied himself on a chair. Looking around, it was almost as though an earthquake had shaken the place. The computers were messed up and not responding, books were jostled out of location. He took deep breathes attempting to not let his lingering OCD flutter to the forefront of his mind.

"Would your witches be able to find out anything about this?" He looked at her.

"I will see. However, you don't seem to have taken it well. Perhaps you should go home and rest for a bit." Her voiced switched to concern.

"No. I'm alright to continue the meeting." He sat back down, head dipping down only to be supported by his right hand. Maba hesitated, staying quiet until he looked at her again.

"If you're alright to continue…"

"I am." He took a deep breath, "The DWMA's Gala is coming up shortly. This year the students wanted to organize a festival to go along with it. You and your coven are welcome to attend." He took notice of how Maba was starting at him.

"If you're that concerned, we can resume the call tomorrow after we finish discussing this topic."

"That would ease my worry."

"Very well."

"About your Gala. I have a few… security concerns. With our numbers being smaller, we also have been tipped off about a small group that has begun attempting to replicate Medusa's work. To my knowledge, they aren't close to succeeding nor do they have any of her documents regarding her experiments. If they want that information, I would be more cautious about the security of the DWMA should they try to steal it." Kid listened intently. He had heard that some suspicious people were rummaging around Medusa's old lab.

"Very well. I will make sure that the security is top notch with thorough checks on each person assigned to our case." Maba hummed.

"Thank you, Lord Death. I will be seeing you tomorrow as scheduled. Please do rest. Not just after what happened, but in general. You can't overwork yourself." She ended the call and her image vanished to simply show his reflection in the broken glass. Leaning back in the chair, he looked at the ceiling.

He took a breath. The books needed to be set back.

He exhaled. The computers needed to be checked for damaged. Papers had to be reorganized.

Beads of sweat started dripping down his forehead. The pens were jostled out of place.

His eyes shifted over to the wall as breathing became shallow. The pictures on the wall were displaced. One tilted two centimeters to the left. Another had become unhinged from the right hook and desperately clung to the wall. Each difference burrowed it way into his mind and he knew that it would be hard to get any rest knowing his office was like this.

Getting up from the chair, he began the process of cleaning. Starting around the desk with papers, pens and any other item that were shaken off. Once they were neatly placed, Kid rummaged through the fallen books. His fingers brushed against leather. He picked it up and opened it.

"Oh…" He stared solemnly. The inside filled with dusty pictures. He sat down, flipping through the pages carefully.

'Stein and Marie's wedding… The trip we all took to the California beach… Blackstar running around…' He gave each picture 20 seconds of his time, recalling all the pleasant memories of his friends. The more time flew, the more it made it harder on him. He slammed the book closed, standing and setting it on the shelf. The rest of the books were hastily put on there. He attempted pressing down the thoughts of how unsymmetrical the room was.

'It's not important. It's not…' He tried to steady his breathing and counted down from 8. He didn't need this right now. He needed to go home. Rest. Get the occasional ringing out of his ears. Forcing he legs out the door, he began to walk through the school and kept his gaze to the floor until he made it outside.

Despite the darkness of the moon, the sky was illuminated. Mainly by stars and planets. Kid stopped in the street to admire the glow. He didn't remember the last time he paused to take in the night sky. The black mass was always there, unsettlingly.

He looked back down and kept walking towards his home.

"I'm home. Are you two…"

"Lord Death!" Gael came running down the stairs. He almost tripped, but managed to catch himself on the railing before continuing down.

"Did you hear the screaming?! I tried to send a message, but the towers must have been affected."

"Yes, I heard it. You seem to be doing fine, what about Bianca?"

"Bia was fine. Annoyed, but fine."

"That's good. Was the anything disturbed in the house?"

"I've been trying to fix some of it. But the house is big so it would take me awhile to get everywhere."

"You really don't need to that. I can call someone who will clean."

"But it's the least I could do after…" Kid placed a hand on Gael's shoulder.

"You've been a kind help. Please rest. You have classes tomorrow." The boy sighed and nodded before heading back up the stairs. Kid stayed on the first floor. The effects of the wails were littered around the mansion. He focused on something else before his mind plagued him with though.

The source of screeching was still a cause for concern. Did it only happen near Death City? Maba didn't seem affected by it too much. Then again, she had magic to aid her. If it was in a larger radius then surely new stations will come calling for answers.

'Even after all this time the press are annoying to deal with.' He made his way up the stairs and down the corridor. Broken memories unevenly scattered along the wall. The rush to his room became ever present until the jostling of a door broke him out of his thoughts.

"Bianca?" The girl jumped.

"O-oh hey. Um, you're actually home?" She asked.

"Maba suggested I should rest after what happened. How are you holding up?" She leaned on her right leg and folded her arms as she looked at him.

"I'm fine. Putting a pillow over my ears helped. At least there is someone you'll listen to when it comes to your health." She started walking, headed past him.

"Where are you going?" He raised an eyebrow.

"A party."

"On a Wednesday?"

"Yeah"

"It's almost 9pm?"

"And?" She turned towards him. "What's your point?"

"Your brother is in bed."

"Well I'm not my brother." Kid groaned a bit. Having teenagers for weapon partners was annoying now that he wasn't much of a teenager at heart.

"Okay. I get it. Just be safe." He didn't want to spend time fighting with her. If she was going to do these things, then she can make her own mistakes and hopefully learn from them. The girl resumed walking away as Kid also made his way to his room.

He closed the door behind him.

* * *

 _It's always the same…_

 _I deserve this…_

…

…

…

… _What was my crime again…_

* * *

It had been nearly a week since the screams. As suspected, any messaging device he owned was blowing up with calls from various media. Th furthest one from somewhere in Asia. He didn't have many answers for them, but he learned a bit in that time.

The event was worldwide.

It has caused worldwide panic and disruptions with some tech.

Maba's witches reported that at the time of the screams, high levels of some wave radiated off the moon. It wasn't madness as neither them nor other creatures were affected by it. Kid was worried the black blood holding the moon was breaking. Maba was doubtful, yet on guard to the possibility.

"I don't want to evacuate the students, but I need to make sure they'll be ready to handle if an emergency did surface." He shut a book loudly.

"I understand your concern." Maba echoed the sentiments. Kid rubbed his temple, there had rarely been a situation that required students to leave, but if the Kishin were to break loose…

He couldn't risk it.

The silence in the room filled the room like a double-edged sword.

Maba looked at Kid.

He didn't look back.

The pen was off by mere decimeters. The pressure on his temple increased.

"Kid."

A paper had one crease on the right side but not the left. Nails dug into skin.

"Kid."

The ticking of the clock on the wall was still off beat from the one on his desk. He bit his lip.

"Kid!"

He jumped and looked up at the source of the voice.

"Take a minute to breath. We haven't… even…" Her voice trailed off as she seemed to look past him.

'Maba-sama?" He questioned.

"Maba- sama, what's wrong?" He firmly asked. With no response, he followed her gaze and turned to see what she caught her attention.

The moon was present in the sky. The dots of black blood spurting out, as if it were wounded.

Kid's blood ran cold.

It didn't hold.

The duo watched terrified as the glob of black shot out of the giant floating orb, soaring through the sky towards the ground.

Panic ran through both entities.


	2. This is Impossible

Inconstant tapping plagued the room. The emergency call had been issues only 3 minutes ago, yet no one showed up. The call with Maba abruptly ended following the crashing. She didn't try to call back. The door opened to a group outside.

"Lord Death, what is it." He turned to them.

"This is an emergency. I need you all to be prepared for what I'm asking you to do." The group lined up and stood straight prepared to hear the orders. He looked at all of them, tension riddled in his body language.

"We have reason to believe the Kishin might have escape the moon. We aren't sure yet, but we will not risk finding out through some disaster. Your goal is to locate whatever fell out of the moon. Do not engage whatever it is. Do not touch it. If you find something suspicious, contact me immediately and let me be the one to engage it. You will leave in one hour. Meet me at the front of the school before then. The other teachers will be informed to help students on how to remain safe. Do I make myself clear?" He firmly looks at them. "Yes, Lord Death!" They went out the door to prepare.

Kid paced around the room thinking.

'The blood surrounding the moon hasn't fallen apart, maybe it's just blood that landed.' He tapped his cheek.

'If he is out there, I can't risk taking Bianca and Gael into a fight' He looked out the window.

'Nothing feels different. No changes in madness. Surely the news will report something soon.' His breath became shallow as he scratched at his cheek.

A knock at the door interrupted his worries. "Lord Death, is everything okay? The teachers are in a panic."

"Gael? You should be in class." He walked over to the door to meet the teen.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen?" The worry laced his voice. Kid set a hand on his shoulder.

"There may have been a breach in security. The teachers will help with-"

"Shouldn't we go with you? Me and Bia are your weapon partners. Shouldn't we be helping too?" Gael stood straight, looking at Kid with determination.

"It's too dangerous for you two." The boy's gaze switched to the floor. Sweat from his palms sticking to the doorknob. "Just let me help… please." The soft protests had the strength to grip at Kid's heart. He thought for a moment, trying to come up with a solution to please both.

"I may not let you fight; however, if you want to go search, I will allow it. The only condition is that you stay with another meister weapon pair." He still didn't enjoy the sound of this plan, but Gael likely wouldn't have accepted anything else. The way the boy's face lit up seemed to prove that assumption. "Thank you so much!"

"I'm meeting with the group in at the front of the school in 45 minutes. Get what you need. I don't know how long this will take so bring food and money for food just in case." Kid wanted to make sure the boy would be taken care of while on the trip and he trusted the 3-star meisters. Gael ran to prepare.

He sighed and sat down in his chair. 'Maybe I should attempt to reach Maba again. Attempt to coordinate efforts. Maybe get a better location or reading of the crash site…'

The call was placed.

No answer…

Kid was early to the meeting location upon Gael's insistence. Meisters and weapons began to form up slowly but surely until all those requested were present.

"I have three vehicles ready. You'll be put into 3 groups with one of you taking Gael with you. Each group will get a communicator to access me straight away if you find whatever landed. I will be able to get to your location as quickly as possible to engage." Gael passed out the tech to each group and separated them into three, picking which of them he felt the most comfortable with. Kid seem content with his choice as he watched the groups drive away. All they knew was a direction it was and some guesstimated reports by multiple news sources in the local area.

The news was quick to seek answers and Kid had become quite skilled in dancing around the inquiries until it was necessary to answer them.

Looking up at the moon, it still looked like nothing had happened. It still floated in the air, solid with little to no bumps or rough edges. Madness wasn't spreading as badly as the last time Asura escaped, so perhaps the unease was unwarranted. That's what Kid desperately needed to ease his mind.

The drive through the desert felt like it stretched on for hours; however, time had barely passed. Gael tried not to bother the older meisters. The light tapping of his feet was less than audible against the soft rock music spilling over the vehicle. The dusty yellow swirling behind was replaced by the crunching noises of dead grass. The trees made their presence known to the group as the increase in size.

The driver slowed the car and parked at the edge of the forest. They got out.

"Gael, you operate this while we search. Try not to wonder off, please." Someone spoke to him, but his mind was elsewhere. This ringing. It didn't hurt, but the high-pitched noise had begun to bother him slightly the closer to the forest they got.

"Gael." What was this? Maybe the altitude was affecting him?

"Gael?" He had been outside of Death City multiple times both with and without Kid, but this never happened before. The firm presence on his shoulder alerted him and brought him back to reality.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay to come on this? You were spacing out?" The meister asked, holding the weapon in the other hand.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry. I have a little bit of a head ache. There is water in my bag, I will drink it. Maybe it will go away…" He avoided the gaze before reaching for the water bottle he brought along. The duo waited until he nodded that he was ready.

The woods were not lite that well. While they moon still glowed, it was nowhere near the brightness that it once illuminated the sky with. Gael stood between the two meisters, each prepared to make sure he was safe as the searched. He held his flashlight tightly.

That ringing only became more apparent the further they got. He stopped, clutching his head tightly.

"Are you alright?" One meister stopped while the other continued to look.

"It hasn't stopped since we got here. This buzzing or some sound in my head." Uneven breathing concerned the older student and they turned towards their friend.

"Maybe we should take him back to the car?"

"No please. I can keep going. Maybe this is a sign." He quickly looked up to meet their concerned gaze. They looked between each other. Grasps on the weapons loosening and tightening as they debated on a lecture Kid would likely give them if they didn't take care of him or the boy's ever-present need for reassurance.

"O-Okay. We just want you to be safe. Keep drinking water, maybe take an Advil?" He nodded and got up, taking the advice given. The small group pressed on further into the forests. The eyes of creatures on them sent chills up their spines. Winding plant life stretched along the trees, black with thorns protruding like this. One meister examined it.

"This doesn't look organic. Gael, can you radio Lord Death about this." No reply was given. They turned to see Gael looking further into the forest.

"Gael?!" He shook his head and looked over.

"S-sorry." He reached for the communicator and fidgeted with it.

"L-Lord Death. We think we found something." His voice shook. The ringing stopped; but something ominous replaced it. This fear and pressure weighing down nearby.

"Gael! The others…. Reported anything… Find…" Kid's voice scratching in and out. "Black Vines stretching around trees. There is something here. I-I don't know what it is." Within seconds the thorns jet out to form spikes. One meister was caught, a spike hitting their leg. Their weapon partner transformed back to aid them. The other seem to be cut in several places, but nothing serious. They kept Gael in the middle.

"I'm… way" The voice cut.

"What is even going on with that thing?"

"He shouldn't be cutting out. This is state of the art technology."

"It's not the tech. Whatever it is is messing with it somehow. Lord Death sounds like he is on his way here. Let's get out of here and take care of Andreana's injuries."

"Yeah. Come on Gael."

They looked towards the middle and saw nothing there other than the communicator.

"Gael!" They shouted out into the forest. No response. One of them rushed to pick up the communicator.

"Lord Death! Get here as fast you can! I know I might be cutting in and out! But we can't find Gael! He was here just a few minutes ago!"

Rushing in was a terrible idea. But for all the pressure, he felt drawn inside. Careful to avoid the vines, he pressed on with fear and curiosity mixed together. Kid would scold him, but he had to know what was going on. The numbing in his legs presented itself the more he headed inward until he tripped over a tree trunk. Falling harshly upon the ground, he felt a light piercing in arms and pinging in his head. The vines were condensed.

Black.

It stretched on. The visions of trees blurred as the pressure caved down on him. A speck of lilac being that last color he recalled.

Kid got there as fast as possible. The message that Gael was missing drove him into overdrive as his skateboard blew blast layers of sand.

'If this is Asura, he could… he would…'

"Lord Death. He will be alright. You need to calm down and think clearly." The weapon urged him. Kid pushed the violent outcomes to the back of his mind. Asura may have returned, but Kid was sure he would get Gael home safe. He brought another weapon with him, one he was far more experienced him so that the boy could be taken back if he got to him. Noticing the car, he headed towards it to find the wounded meister and their partner.

"What happened in there?" He asked sternly, wanting every piece of information he could get.

"The black vines wrapped around the trees. They stabbed Andreana. Sora is still in there, looking for Gael. He just vanished. We don't know if he was taken and ran off, but we didn't hear anything." Andreana's partner said. Sweat beaded down their forehead as they looked up at Lord Death.

"Nurse your meister. I will get Sora and Gael. When they come out, I want all of you to head back immediately to the DWMA for treatment. Get Angela if you feel this is urgent." He turned towards the forest and headed in. The plants all looked fine despite living in Nevada. His eyes made seeing in this lighting easier as he could avoid any obstacles on the ground.

Approaching the area in which the black vines began, Kid looked around. The trees weren't damaged, but the vines that had spiked out still contained blood as did the grass nearby.

"Sora! Gael." He called out. Branches broke nearby.

"Lord Death! You're here!" Sora emerged from the shadows, clutching his partner. Kid relaxed.

"It's good to see you're mostly alright. Do you have anything for me?"

"There is only one way he could have gone. There are vines blocking areas further in, but he might have found a way if he ran off that way. But one thing concerns me. He was complaining about headaches earlier and they got worse when we got here." Kid listened intently. He had yet to hear or feel anything.

"Has anything changed?" He questioned the young meister. "The pressure that was here has died down considerably in the last ten minutes. Either it was a spike from the blood or whatever it is has left." Sora looked back into the woods.

"Come in with me, if we find Gael I want you to take him back to the car and you all head to the DWMA."

Walking in cautiously, Sora followed Kid. It was getting darker, quieter. Yelling out for the boy might alert something nearby if he wasn't careful. Scratching caused him to pause. Scraps along wood. He looked near him. The vines cut along the trees and receded back, deeper towards their possible origin. The duo followed cautiously.

"I think I can feel something…" His voice had not been quiet enough, alerting something into a running.

"Wait!" A voice called out as branches broke and the vines defensively extended their reach in hopes of ensnaring a target.

"Gael!" Kid recognized the voice and quickly proceeded until he found the boy reaching out past him, attempting to get up. The Shinigami grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to look at him.

"Gael Beretta! What were you thinking going in there alone? You could have gotten yourself killed." He was checking the boy for injuries, seeing the cuts along his arms and the bruise on his temple.

"Lord Death, I'm fine. Please I just, They're not bad. I swear. Don't hurt them." Gael looked up at him before out towards the direction the noises were still coming from.

"It doesn't matter. You're going back to the DWMA with Sora. What happens to them is none of your concern." He picked the boy up easily, handing them to Sora who could carry him despite holding a weapon.

"No! Please. I-I… Th-they don't." Kid went off taking out the gun weapon, still hearing Gael's protests as Sora took him out of forest. The noises continued with cries of startled animals adding to the forest's sound. Calling Beelzebub, he could more easily catch up to whatever creature fled from him. It only took him a short time to catch up.

Lilac hair flying in multiple directions due to the wind pressure the skateboard produced to stay airborne. They turned to look at their assailant, scared and cornered. Kid paused, staring down.

'No… No thi-this is impossible.'

"Crona…" The flinched the other gave alerted him he was right.

"Lord Death, you have a chance! Take it!" His weapon urged him. Fingers on the trigger trembled, quickly pressing on it. The bullet of soul wavelength hitting the target nearly the stomach. Crona yelped, clutching down. While there was no wound, the force of a Shinigami's condensed wavelength packed its punch. He watched the thing body fall to the ground.

Thumping began to cause pain in his chest. Nerves? Anger? He couldn't tell what this feeling was. Breath shaking unevenly as he looked down at the unmoving body. The single bullet wasn't enough to kill them, but they probably weren't getting up anytime soon. Letting go of the gun, she transformed back into a human.

"Lord Death, you know who this is?" She questioned as he lowered the skateboard to the ground.

"I-… This can't… They were supposed to be dead." His feet touched the ground, Beelzebub returning from whence it came. The closer he got, the more he felt ready to collapse.

"Lord Death? Sir. We should head back to the DWMA immediately before it wakes up!" He glanced over at the woman before looking down at Crona. Gently pushing their shoulders to see their face. The messy hair Kid found somewhat infuriating long ago had gotten much longer. Vine like scars slightly dressed their face faintly. His hand found its way to pale cheeks.

Cold. Almost like death had truly reached them, yet a heart still slightly pulsed under his fingertips.

"Lord Death! Please, let's get out of here." She sternly requested. He closed his eyes for a moment before picking up the body.

"Alright. Let's go…"


	3. Tell Us Why

Four days.

Four days had passed since they found Crona as what had fallen from the moon. Kid sat in his office, hardly eating, questioning all the reports and the information they had gathered a short time after Asura had been sealed away. Flipping through page after page trying to find some explanation that would satisfy his need for answers.

'Why is Crona even alive? He- they… should be dead.' Medusa kept interesting records, but none of them answered why Crona was alive in the first place, much less able to escape when Asura couldn't. The pure white eye on Crona's forehead had raised the biggest concern. In every document he read, it was a sign that they had become a Kishin… yet, there was hardly any madness wavelength spreading from them. At least from what Kid could discern.

It didn't help that he couldn't get what he needed out of the other.

Ever since they returned from the forest, Crona had been unconscious from what Angela had told him. She almost thought Kid had killed them, but the monitors were picking up signs of a heart beat and brain activity.

'Maka had said Crona used BREW. She wouldn't mess up something like that, even to protect her… them. So how?!' Papers flew in frustration as Kid clutched head in anger.

"This doesn't make any sense!" He attempted to get up, but his body fought against it, keeping him lower to the ground. His stomach growled at him and breath shook as fatigue caught up to him. Maybe he should get something from the cafeteria and head home. Who knows what trouble Bianca would get up to… and Gael…

He forgot to talk to Gael about what happen. Kid sighed. He would need to do that, but for now, making sure he took care of himself was priority as Gael would probably dodge the questioning with being overly concerned about his meister's wellbeing. Using his desk for leverage, he pushed himself up and stumbled his way out the door. Exhaustion hitting him like a bus the more he pressed on for food.

The workers in the cafeteria looked worried and made sure to give him a sizeable meal to eat. He offered no complaints on the arrangement and just ate, appreciating having some form of nourishment in his stomach. It was quiet on the weekends, students at home with friends, hopefully enjoying the peace.

Disposing of what little remains and setting the tray away, he headed home. Getting down the stairs were the hardest despite it taking little effort to go downhill. Once at the base, he gave up and summoned Beelzebub to skate his way home.

The quiet atmosphere upon entering the manor was unnerving, but welcomed in his current state.

'At least I'll be able to sleep for a bit.' Kid made it up to his room, shutting the door and quickly passing out on the bed as the lack of sleep over four days had taken over him entirely.

"Gael, you're desperate." Bianca rolled her eyes as her brother pulled her wrist down the hall. All these wild stories over the last few days had at first been amusing, but now grew to annoy her.

"You won't believe me so what am I supposed to do?" He kept going.

"Stop with the stupid story. Like a person could have come from the moon." She tugged her hand away from him, causing the boy to stop and look her. "Am not. Just give me this chance. Please Bia." The emergence of puppy dog eyes made this difficult. Bianca groaned.

"Okay. Okay. Since you were willing to break the rules, I will indulge your request. But that's it." Gael led her down to the nurse's office. He opened the door, disregarding the Staff Only sign. Moving quickly, he let Bianca look for herself.

The room was about the same, all except for the person laying on the bed. The monitor's slight beeping was disturbing as was their appearance. Pale skin marred with minor black scars. Messy lilac hair splayed everywhere. Despite the worn appearance, they seemed to be so serene while they slept.

"Gael… Wh-what- who is this?" She felt her palms start to sweat as she looked over at her brother.

"I don't exactly know, but I've heard the staff calling her… him…uh them Crona. Other than that, I couldn't find out anything about them." He walked over and pulled up a chair. She stood their dumbfounded. Gael pulled out a book from his bag and started to read aloud from it. The increased beeping from the monitor alerting her that whoever this was, was responding to him. Gael continued to read.

"Hold up! So, they're what fell from the moon!" Bia shrieked out.

"Sssh! The teachers will hear you." Gael shut the book and turned towards his sister. "Yes, um, they are what fell from the moon."

"But- But I thought Asura was the only one on the moon. What if…" She looked at the sleeping figure. "Nope nope nope nope. You're coming with me and we're leaving. Right now." Bianca surged forward, grabbing Gael's forearm and his bag.

"Bia! Bia you're fine. They're fine. They aren't Asura. Do you think Lord Death would really bring them here, alive, if it was?" He pulled away from her in protest.

"I don't care. You shouldn't be around whatever that thing is!" Bia tightened her grip on him, dragging him away from the bed. She felt him lurched back against her. "Gael, I don't have time for this! You-!" Her head turned and froze. Pale eyes stared back at her, watching her while keep a black laced hand on her brother.

"Don't… leave. Please." Chapped, pale lips opened in meek protest. Gael pulled away from his frozen sister, smiling happily as he looked at them.

"You're awake! Wow! This is- Oh my god. I have so much I want to ask you!" He grabbed their hand. Lilac hair flew everywhere and shoulders tensed slightly at the eager tone. Bianca shook her head and look at her brother.

"Gael come on! Let's go." She demanded despite the shakiness of her voice. Gael glanced over at her. "I'm staying."

"Gael, what is she doing here? I thought we had an agreement?" A young woman appeared across the room tapping her foot.

"O-oh hi, Miss Angela." Bianca took a few steps away from her brother. Gael looked over, color slightly draining from his face. "Sorry Miss Angela, I just thought… Well she didn't… I'm sorry."

"I won't tell anyone Miss. Angela. I was… just leaving."

"You won't have to tell anyone because I'm telling Kid about this. Gael, you only get 20 minutes to chat away, but you're going straight home once that time is up." Angela came over with a board, checking the monitors and writing them down before setting it back in its original location.

"I'm going to be right outside the door making some calls. Both of you are staying in here until I come back." Angela walked outside and closed the door. Gael and Bianca relaxed and looked at each other.

"Guess you're stuck with me." She groaned and leaned against the window. "Just ask your questions so we can go. I'm not excited about the lecture Lord Death is going to give us about this."

Crona had stayed quiet during the entire conversation, trying to minimize themselves for being the reason they got in trouble. Gael looked at them, the excitement had died down a bit due to the scolding, but there was still a sparkle in his eyes. Sitting down next by the bed, he thought of the most important questions.

"Is your name really Crona?" They nodded.

"Um… well… can you tell me about yourself? We didn't know anyone else was on the moon except Asura." Crona stared at him for a moment before looking down.

"N-no one… knew I was there…?" The soft voice muttered out, looking at the blanket. "Maka… Maka knows… Where is she?" Gael's confusion only troubled the other.

"Maka Albarn?" Crona looked up quickly at him, nodding quickly.

"Where is she? She knows. She knows everything. Please." The heart monitor started speeding up quickly. They reached out grabbing Gael's arms. He stutters, not sure how to answer. Bianca jumped and rushed over to try and pull him away. It only added to Crona's desperation. The grip tightened causing the boy to wince at the pressure.

"Get Maka. She must know. She has to know I'm okay." The heart rate only continued to increase, triggering an alarm within the device.

Angela rushed in at the alerting tones of the monitor and quickly came over, using a spell. Pale eyes started to glaze over and the vice grip they held onto Gael with laxed. The witch cautiously came over, gently pushing Crona's shoulders back and making sure they laid down on the bed.

"You two should leave." She said gently.

The pair left. Bianca held Gael as they walked out, the brother still being a little shaken up by everything. Once they got to the stairs leading down into town, Gael stopped. The sister noticing the ceased movement, turned towards him. "Gael come on we should go…" She softened her tone with him.

He looked up her. "Bia… they… they wanted Maka… but, if they knew her then…" His eyes lost the sparkle and his palms felt sweaty as he touched her arm.

"Don't concern yourself with it. This is not our problem and we shouldn't have gone there." She put an arm around him and led him down the stairs into the town. The manor was always a walk, but the siblings had gotten use to walking everywhere. Children outside playing basketball in one of the public courts and couples walking their pets. It felt so normal compared to what the school was keeping hidden. Gael looked around and wondered if any of them knew about Crona or that there was more than just the Kishin trapped up there. Would they care about them?

Gallows Manor got taller with each step. Bianca kept a hold of him all the way there until they were inside. She let go and checked him.

"Hey… no need to cry. Everything is going to be fine." She wasn't sure when her brother began to cry, but they had run down his face without her knowledge. His hand went to touch his cheek. Wet. He wiped his eyes.

"I-It's just… thinking about what they said… we did-we didn't know… b-but Lord Death does and he…." His voice trailed off.

"Gael, there is no-"

"He didn't tell us…" Bianca looked away. "There is probably a lot he hasn't told us. But who cares. Let's get you some water and you can take a nap."

"I'm not tired." She groaned.

"Let's play a game then… Ping Pong. We haven't played in a while." He just nodded and followed her to the room with the table set up.

"Let's see if you can beat me this time."

Despite being exhausted, Kid had managed to keep waking up several times over the course of his sleep. After the 7th time, he thought it was futile to try and get a proper sleep with so much still in his mind. Each question taunting him every time he closed his eyes. He got out of bed and decided to shower instead of heading back to the school. His hair rarely felt greasy, but feeling how it was as he brushed his hand through it just alerted him to how little he took care of himself over the last four days.

Turning on the water and getting in, the steam helped a lot in relaxing him. The water hitting his shoulders and relieving some of the stress after having likely being tensed up multiple times over the past days. He spent a lot of time washing his hair, massaging the shampoo through it several times to get all the grime out. He was tempted to just stand there until the hot water ran out, but he still had a lot that he needed to check in on. Kid washed the rest of him before turning off the water, grabbing towels and trying to be quick with drying out.

He chose to wear something slightly more breathable and comfortable. The manor was still relatively quiet, even during the times that he unfortunately woken up.

'Maybe the twins are out today?' He wondered. He elected to hold off talking to Gael immediately and headed back to the school. It was night out, the moon still shaded black and looked like it had for so many years. Almost as if Crona hadn't escapes and wasn't being watched in their nurse's office. His pace quickened with each step and each concern weighing back down on him.

The stairs were not as tedious to trek.

"Kid. There you are. I've been trying to get a hold of you but you weren't answering." He jumped a bit as Angela appeared next to him.

"I haven't heard anything."

"Maybe because you forgot you cell phone in your office." She held up the device in front of him. The screen showed 6 missed called and 9 unread messages. "Gael and Bianca got into the nurse's office and saw Crona. They're awake, but the questions that Gael asked sent them into a panic. They're fine now." Kid stared at her, trying to process everything. He started walking and she trailed after him.

"What are you going to do about this?" She asked.

"I'm going to clean up my office then call them both down here."

"What have you been doing in there anyway? We haven't seen you in days."

"This a very confusing situation so I was trying to find answers."

"You could have asked for help. Tsubaki was usually open about what happen and I remember some of the things she told me."

"That's kind but I doubt that would help."

"Well, you will need all the help you can get." Kid raised an eyebrow at her before turning. They had made it to the hall where his office lied along with someone waiting in front of the turn.

"G-Gael? What are you doing here?" Kid stopped, the boy looked over at him. He stood straight when his meister walked closer with Angela.

"I was going to talk with you, I guess this saves time."

"I want to know about Crona."

"We can talk about hi-them later." Kid opened the door to the flung about papers, neatly stacked on his desks. The window was open. He groaned as he saw the figures standing by his desk.

"Maba. I didn't expect you and your… judge to be here."

"Kid, we have to talk."


	4. It's Been A Long Time

Kid looked between each person of the group that was in his room.

Angela, who was trying to tell him about Gael.

Maba and her judge that just showed up without warning.

Then Gael, who wanted answers about Crona. This was bothersome with how little sleep he had gotten.

"Maba I would love to, but I also have these two and-"

"Then finish your chats with them so that we may that we can talk privately" She stared at him, voice commanding the situation. Kid scratched the back of his head. Angela looked at the boy on the other side of Kid, seeing his determination flicker in his eyes.

"All I wanted to tell you was that Gael and Bianca broke rules and saw Crona. Speaking of whom, I should check to see how they are doing. If you would excuse me." She vanished quickly, removing herself from the tension in the room. Kid was left with no other option, but to face his teen weapon partner.

"I see your doing well."

"Yeah." Short answers. Tension in Kid's shoulders returned.

"The headaches haven't come back?"

"No"

"Get to the point, Kid. We have a lot more pressing concerns." The judge chimed in exhaling smoke from her pipe in an effort to not raise her voice in front of a child. Kid gulped and looked at him.

"So… what do you-"

"Why didn't you tell us they were up there? How do they know Maka? If they're dangerous, why are they even here?" Fists clenched as a meek voice listed off question after question.

"Slow down a bit. One at a time."

"Fine. Why didn't you tell us they were up there?" His hazel eyes searched through the golden ones staring at him. Maba watched the two quietly. Kid searched for the safest answer with pointed stares directed towards him.

"After everything that happen, a lot of the governments around the world didn't want the information to get out about them. Crona… did a lot of damage to the world that they can't take back. I never thought they could even be alive, much less get off the moon." Gael looked down. He bit his lip slightly.

"Even if the others didn't know… I wish you told us… shouldn't we know…" Kid set a hand on his shoulder, adding some pressure with his thumb to comfort the other.

"Gael. I don't want you or Bianca to deal with my past. You're still children." Gael looked up quickly.

"But you were a child when everything went down with Asura." The hand on his shoulder recoiled.

"Stop trying to turn this around. What happened back then is completely different."

"Crona was a part of what happened back then! Who are they?!" He stomped his foot down and Kid felt the floor slightly vibrate from force.

"I'm not going to answer that."

"Why-!"

"Crona is the child of the witch Medusa." Maba interrupted. Kid glared at her, attempting to stop her.

"He wants to know." She moved over to him, staring at the boy. Kid stiffened and looked away. "Crona was a child of Medusa and eventually killed her while also devouring the Kishin Asura. They were eventually taken over by Asura and we all thought they died sealing the Kishin to the moon. The barrier keeping Asura is up there is their own blood." Gael stared at her. The color drained from his face as he tried to process. Maba watched him before turning to Kid.

"Crona is why I'm here. Angela told us that they were awake now."

"Of course, she did…" He groaned. "What do you want?" Before she could speak, Gael tugged on Kid's sleeve. The Shinigami softly looked over at the boy.

"Are you going to tell them… About Maka. About everyone else… If they were alive when Maka was… they know the others… you have to tell them." His tone shifted, stance becoming uneven and eyes glancing away.

"I-I doubt they could handle it. They're unstable. Crona may not be emitting any madness, but that doesn't mean they can't and upsetting them… isn't worth the risk." Gael pulled his hand away.

"But they should know!" He yelled.

"What they should know isn't up to you!" Kid yelled back, Gael stepped back. He fell quiet and turned, leaving and slamming the door. The room fell quiet, the guilt slowly building up.

"You're a coward." The judge glanced over at him. Maba didn't say anything to her about the words her judge employed when addressing Kid.

"You should have told us what you found before Angela did."

"If you're here to lecture me, then kindly leave. I don't want to hear right now." Kid turned his back to her. Maba muttered and Kid's body was turned around to face her.

"I would like to speak with Crona." Her eye pierced through him.

"I would rather you didn't"

"Just like you would rather not tell them about their friends." She retorted. Kid flinched at her tone.

"That's entirely different from this situation." Maba expressed some frustration, breath slowing down.

"They murdered a witch before our deal was struck. I have grounds to arrest them if I so choose." Maba spoke sternly, each word emphasized to Kid. The judge came over. "Medusa's child will be taken to court for their crimes as soon as they are fit to leave the nurse's office." The witch queen released Kid from the spell and he stared at them.

"You've read the reports as much as I have. You know what Medusa did to them."

"Then they should have little trouble defending themselves in court." The judge responded.

"You don't want the questions. From Gael and probably the press and the governments. I can take them off your hands. What happens after that would be none of your concern." Maba told him. Kid looked away from her. His fist clenched.

"I'll think about it."

"Make your choice now or I will tell Crona about everyone." She began to float to meet his face. "Of course, if you tell them… I will let you have a few days to consider what will be done with them." Her body floated away and she sat on desk, intensely watching Kid.

The Shinigami looked at the floor. His options severely limited, doubting he could change her mind much less stop her from fulfilling her end of the threat, but the risk Crona's breakdown had on the city and the people was hard to imagine. He looked at her.

"If I tell them… and they break down… would you be prepared to contain h-them with your spacial magic." Maba was intrigued by his proposal and nodded, getting off the desk with her judge coming to her side. Kid took a moment to collect himself before turning to the turning. The metal of the doorknob feeling slick and uncomfortable as he opened the door. Maba stayed by him, watching the way he moved and the pace he set. Slow. The discomfort with each step.

The reaper felt like glass was stabbing his feet with each push forward. The single drops of sweat down his forehead and the pushing thoughts of Gael's upset face all wanted to force him away from where Crona was. The closer they got, they heard talking in the room. He stopped for a moment.

"I'm sorry… about earlier…" Crona's soft voice rang in his head. He turned away from the door.

"It's alright, you're probably still in shock from the fall." Angela sounded relatively calm.

"Are you going to tell them?" Maba interrupted his disorganized thoughts. He took in a deep breath as he opened the door to the nurse's office. The witch and her patient looked over at the small group. Crona quickly look away, focusing on their hands and the blanket. Angela stood up.

"Lord Death. Maba-sama." She spoke.

"Angela… will you leave for a few minutes." His voice sounded dejected and she nodded, before leaving the room. The awkward silence expanded, Crona looked nervous as they gripped the blanket. Maba nor her judge spoke leaving Kid to be the one to be the speak up. He coughed a bit.

"O-Oh… are you sick…?" Crona murmured, just loud enough to be heard.

"W-what no. I'm just…"

"Get on with it Kid." The judge said. Maba kicked her leg slightly. Crona looked up at the retort.

"O-on with what?" Their eyes went pale and shoulders tensed up. Kid sighed and came over as the other slightly moved away. He pulled up the chair and sat down. He played with his hands as the sweat. If he didn't, Maba would. If he did, Crona would break down. Every option ran in his head, stressing him out.

"K-kid…?" It snapped him out of it. The way they said it, like when they were still friends. He bit the inside of cheek.

"Gael told me that you were asking for Maka…" Crona looked away.

"I-I'm sorry. I just… thought…" Their shoulders drooped down and they released the blanket.

"Crona… I'm… I'm not exactly sure how to tell you this… but Maka can't come see you." The Shinigami didn't want to look at the other.

"I k-know I'm probably asking a lot… I… don't deserve it… I just want to see her… at least once…" Kid's knuckles turned white from gripping tightly.

"You're not asking too much… You're asking for the impossible…" He took a breath. "Crona… it's been… almost 200 years since you sealed Asura away..." He looked up at the other. Their face was drained of color, body laxed and eyes stared at Kid. They didn't say anything.

"C-Crona." The being in question looked down, water starting to form and run down the scarred face. Chapped lips bitten harshly holding back the whines. Kid didn't sense any madness from them, but Maba came over and put a hand on his arm. It didn't pry the Shinigami from watching the others. The heart monitor was spiking slightly and they moved their hand gripping at where their heart was. The whining became more apparent and Kid backed away quickly.

The heart monitor's speed increase until the alarm sounds.

"Maba, you need to-!"

"Wait!" She was watching intently, eye widening and hand shaking. The scars running along Crona's face started protruding into thorns running over their left eye and along their right cheek and neck. They cried out in pain. The blood in their body fighting back and spiking out.

The pillow was shredded.

The blanket ripped apart.

Holes were punctured in the wall.

Kid quickly moved Maba away. The monitor alarmed only to get destroyed by the blood spikes.

"Maba! You need to contain them!"

"This isn't the same Kid! They'll suffer if I close them off!" She looked between him and Crona. The risk of causing the other more pain in an isolated dimension was much more hazardous than letting whatever this fit was. Crona kicked at the bed while they use their hands to cover their face as blood was coughed up and dripped down the edge of their mouth. As quickly as it started, it ended with Crona gasping for air. Black blood dripping down their face.

"Kid. I'm sorry, but circumstances have changed. I'm getting any of the paperwork you need and Crona will be coming back with me to the Witches Realm."

"Maba, you said you would give me time!" Kid turned to her.

"Maba-sama. Let's leave already. He doesn't understand." The judge said, having kept away from the situation as it lacked her concern. Kid looked at the judge then at Maba.

"What do I not understand!?"

"You just saw what happened! With them and their so-" She stopped. "You really don't understand. I'm taking them in a week once everything is taken care of. I'll be speaking with Angela and leaving." She walked over to her judge as Kid watched her, confused and upset.

"You think I'm just going to let you take them out of my custody."

"You're going to, whether you like it or not. If you can't see what's happening then you have no business dealing with them." Maba left the room. Kid yelled and punched the wall, startling the exhausted person on the bed.

The silence permeated the room, awkward and tense.

"K-kid… I-I'm sorry…" Crona's meek voice sounded over, having caught their breath but hardly moved.

"What are you doing? What are you doing that Maba thinks you're a threat? I don't sense anything from you." He glanced over only to see Crona turn their head away.

"Crona!" They flinched at the tone.

"Answer me!" The flinch was less visible.

"Did they all live pleasantly…" Crona asked, ignoring Kid's question.

"Stop trying to avoid this! What are you doing!" Lilac hair moved to show the pale face still stained with black blood. "Did Maka have a good life… I hope she didn't waste her life trying to help me…" Kid groaned and headed to the door slamming it shut. He wanted to pull out his hair. What was he not seeing that Maba could.

'What are they doing! Why can't I see what Maba is worried about?!' The questions in his head multiplied.

Touch jostled him out of the plaguing questions and he looked at the source. Angela's smile was soft, attempting to comfort him.

"Maba left… She'll come back in a week… Crona is the last friend from the old group… You-"

"I'm not going to do it for Maka."

"I wasn't going to ask you to do it for her. You should do it for yourself." Her hand left his shoulder. "If you hadn't changed your mind about Crona, you would have killed them when you found them in that forest." He stood as she went into the nurse's office.

Before the door closed, she looked back at them. "Gael and Bianca are free to come back if they want to. Crona liked listening to Gael read." She shut the door, leaving Kid to stew in his anger…


	5. Rain or Tears

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The established rhythm beating on the glass windows contrasted the mechanic beep beep of the heart monitor next to them. Crona stared at the ceiling, eyes attempting to lull them back to sleep. To a false sense of security their mind wouldn't allow them to have. Each word of the previous day sinking in the longer they thought.

Maba could see it. They were unsure if that was good or bad, but regardless she seemed to have a plan. Kid's anger stuck at the forefront of his mind. It shocked them to see the other like that, but… it's been so long that he could have changed a lot during that time…

Crona turned to look at the window.

Tap. Tap.

Tap.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

'Rain…' Even when they were a student at the DWMA, Crona never saw it rain. It must be quite rare in the desert. Pulling out the tubes, they moved to sit up. The ringing in their head lasted a few minutes before they slowly got up. Legs felt numb from lack of use. Balance was off a bit.

Crona steadied themselves and headed to the window, opening it slightly. The scent hit them immediately. The smell of rain water pouring down from the sky. Fresh, better than the smell of disinfectant and medicine that permeated the nurse's room. It was relaxing.

Sitting down, they leaned against the window frame.

'Is it really worth being here when you're not here to enjoy it with me…' Pale eyes stared up at monotone grey skies.

'Did you keep trying… Did you at least live a normal life… Was my… was our sacrifice worth it…'? It was difficult to tell whether some rain drops had landed on them or if it was tears, but water ran down their face as they pondered everything. The only person they believed they could ask all of this hated them… and he doubted the younger kids would come back after they had frightened the duo unwittingly.

Giggles and laughs were heard in the distance. Crona peered out the window to see small children playing outside in the rain, with older students heading up to the school for their classes.

200 years…

It was a lot to process. Some much progress the world should have made and yet… everything still looked so familiar. Death City hadn't gotten too much bigger, but the difference was more easily spotted at a higher altitude. Crona scanned around.

The streets were smooth instead of the brick.

The apartments, stores, and houses ranged in size but they expanded out rather than up.

Street lights were bigger, but no wires were around. Crona thought that maybe there was a new energy source now. They became curious, not minding their hair becoming slowly wet with each drop of rain landing on them.

The main area they remembered was still there, just paved over with whatever new building material it was.

'I wonder if the basketball court is still there.' They sat back down, shaking their head. Lilac hair hit their face as they tried to dry off their hair.

Knock Knock.

Crona's eyes widened and they quickly got up, tripping over their black dress as they stumbled back over to the bed before the door opened. They pulled the blanket over themselves as the door creaked open.

Angela walked in, greeted by the smell of outside rain. Looking between the cracked open window and Crona's nervous face, she just chuckled before heading over to the window.

"If you want to get away with something, try not to make it so obvious next time." She shut it gently and got a small towel.

"You're still like what they described you as." Crona's face went a bit grey. Angela smiled as she came over to give them the towel. She looked at the monitors, seeing no readings and sighed.

"If you're going to take these out at least make sure I'm here for it. You may be a Kishin, but it's still reckless." Angela took great care in attaching them back to Crona, making sure they could get a reading. Before she could leave, there was a slight tug on her blouse.

Turning around, Crona stared up at her. "Um… I uh… Can we talk?" She looked at the clock.

"I have about 20 minutes until the class I teach starts. So, sure, for a few minutes." The hand left the blouse as she sat down.

"What would you like to talk about?"

"The others…" Angela pursed her lips, looking to the side before circling her eyes back to the black clad individual. "Anything more specific?"

"…Did they at least live…" Their voice sounded meek. A quiet plea for some sort of answer.

"Well yes. Liz opened a nail salon and makeup store. Patty worked with her and would babysit me when Blackstar and Tsubaki had missions." She glanced over at Crona's face, seeing that they were listening intently.

"Blackstar and Tsubaki ended up getting married. I got to be the flower girl. Never thought I'd see the day he would cry that much. We all thought it was funny and he never got to live it down." She laughed a bit, remember all the faces Blackstar made when it was brought up. The faintest of giggles came from her left and she smiled.

"Maka and Soul remained close and they were married for a little while, but they got divorced… It didn't end badly and they remained on good terms. Stein's kid grew up to be a prodigy just like he was though not as crazy. Marie probably had a hand in that." A little tone on her phone alerted her.

"Oh, that's my timer. I should be going. The kid's will probably fall into anarchy if I don't get down there soon." She quickly got up.

"Remember if you need anything, just press the bottom button on the controller and if I'm not up, a staff member will come up instead." She reexplained before quickly heading out of the room. It left Crona feeling slightly more uplifted, thinking about the small amount of information she gave him.

'Maka… and Soul… I hope they were alright… Sounds like Tsubaki was happy… I hope…' The corners of their mouth tipped up into a little smile.

* * *

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Gael, stop it."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Pssst. Gael."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Bianca groaned and lightly kicked him under the desk. He jolted and looked over at her. "Bia, what the frick was that for?"

"You keep tapping your pen when I'm trying to concentrate. Do we have to get you a fidget cube or something?"

"No. I just, I'm still thinking about everything."

"Well if you-"

"Bianca! Gael! Quit your chatter and pay attention to the lesson!" The teacher shouted from his desk. The twins looked back down at their papers. The little black dots littered most of Gael's page.

'How long was I just tapping?' He turned the page and there was some ink on it from some of the ink sinking through or the pen puncturing the page. Sighing he watched the teacher go on explaining more things about a Grigori soul.

Things started to blur the longer he stared until the forest and Crona standing over them were all he saw. They bent down, lightly touching their arm where the scraps were.

'Wait. This… I've already been here.' The person in front of them cared for their wounds gently, almost afraid to be touching another human being. Their eyes lit up as they felt the warmth of his skin.

"Gael."

'How do they know my name'

"Gael, are you okay?" He snapped out of it to see Bia's hand in front of his face. She groaned.

"Were you spacing out again?" Gael looked away shyly. They went quiet until the bell rang, dismissing them. The twins stayed together as the other students filed out to go to whichever class they had next. Bianca glanced over every so often to make sure her brother was still next to her or not about to run into a pole.

"Hey Bia… um… can I ask you something?" He went over to the wall so they weren't stopping in the middle of the halls.

"Is something wrong?" She set a hand on his shoulder, gripping it comfortingly.

"Will you come with me to the nurse's office after school?" The hand loosened a bit.

"You aren't going to talk to Crona are you?"

"I just… I know what Kid told me, but they should have a right to know." He shifted a bit.

"I already told you I don't want you to talk to whatever they are."

"That's why I want you there with me. Just in case."

"Gael, I don't-"

"Please. Bia Pleeeeease."

"…I'm really not…"

"I'll buy you your favorite ice cream"

"Deal."

"Thank you!" He hugged her tightly. Bianca chuckled as she hugged back.

* * *

The tapping outside persisted. The rain had lasted much longer than Crona thought it would. Stomach growling a bit, but they didn't want to bother the staff with having to disrupt their busy schedules to cater to them.

Bells rung. That made it the 5th time since Angela left. Maybe 3 since their stomach started protesting the lack of food available to them.

The silence was still uncomfortable to them. Not having something sending thoughts into your mind or toss you across the moon for sport. It was bittersweet being free. They got the freedom they craved, but with none of the socializing they had constantly hoped they would get upon freedom.

'I… I wish Ragnarok was here with me… at least it wouldn't feel so lonely…' They touched their skin, feeling the beat along their veins.

Nothing.

No one popped out of their back to yell at them for being stupid or complain that there was nothing to eat.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I know you promised ice cream, but still. This could be dangerous." Crona turned towards the door, hearing the familiar voices of the two that came a few days before.

"It'll be fine. Angela said they've calmed down a lot." The door opened and Gael smiled with Bianca suspiciously looking over his shoulder. The two walked inside and closed the door behind them. Heading to the bed, Gael pulled up a seat.

"Hi. Um, I don't know if you remember us. Oh, we should probably introduce ourselves. I'm Gael and this is my twin sister Bia. Her full name is Bianca, but I call her Bia." Crona looked over at the teen girl. She rolled her eyes.

"Nice to meet you…" Crona said softly. Gael's smile brightened significantly.

"I don't mean to trouble you. Lord Death got upset when I suggested he tell you, but Maka… she-"

"I know…" They looked down. Gael's smile faded.

"Yo-You know? But… I thought."

"Kid… and Maba-sama."

"Oh…. Okay…."

"Does this mean we can go? I would like ice cream." Crona's head shot up.

"I-I'm sorry if I troubled you, but would you… would you both please stay…?" The twins looked between each other, two conflicting opinions battling it out with unwavering stares. Several long seconds of silence before a groan came out and Bianca pulled up a chair next to her brother. Crona relaxed a bit until Gael scoot closer.

"If… you don't mind me asking… what are you both?" Crona hesitantly asked.

"What are we? Oh! Like meister or weapon. Me and Bia are both weapons. Twin blades. Lord Death's weapon partners too." Gael stated.

"Ignore the weapon partners part. We just live at his house." Bianca interrupted, elbowing her brother. Crona raised an eyebrow, but preferred not to ask further.

"Do you want to know anything? Like about Maka?" Crona nodded quickly and Gael smiled.

"Well, from what I read in the history books, her, Black Star and Lord Death all remained close friends until they passed. She fought with them for as long as she could and when her fighting days were done, she did a lot of volunteer work in organizations and spoke out against child abuse. There is even an award named after her." Gael paused when he noticed the tears falling down their pale cheeks.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong!? I-I didn't mean to." Crona shook their head and wiped away the tears with the black sleeves of the dress. "Please… continue." Gael waited a little until they seemed okay before resuming the conversation.

"She married Soul when they were in their late 20's and they had two kids. It lasted for a while, but they thought it be better to get a divorce. That didn't stop them from getting along. They still partnered up together for missions and Soul was a great dad apparently. The oldest was a weapon and the youngest was a better musician than meister. I don't remember if they stayed in Death City or moved. Um anyway. Soul was the last Death weapon under the old policy. But a few have become Death Weapons under the new one."

"New one?" Crona tiled their head slightly.

"Oh right, you wouldn't know about that. Um after Asura was sealed away, The Witch Queen and Lord Death worked to repair relations between witches and humans. Maba would only allow true Death Weapons to exist if a Witch become a greater threat to both humans and witches. Only with her say so can a weapon selected by Lord Death become a true Death Weapon. There haven't been many times this happened though." The lilac haired Kishin looked a bit confused, but Gael didn't know how much better they could explain it.

"I want to ask something." Bianca turned to look at them. Her brother looked a little surprised she broke her silence.

"Um… okay?" was all they could say.

"What were they all like? Liz. Patty. Soul. We've only read about them. But you knew them. Lord Death too. What was her like before he became a turd?"

"Bia! That's rude."

"It's true and you know it." The two turned to face Crona, the grey blush returning as they were put on the spot to answer.

"Well… each of them… were very kind… Liz and Patty accepted me quickly… they… they even tried to help me pick out clothes. Liz told me it was because they say some of themselves when they saw me…. I never bothered to ask about it…" They paused to think a bit more.

"Patty… was interesting. Her hugs felt like they would take the breath out of someone…. She always laughed…"

"Blackstar… He was loud." Crona stopped and Bianca laughed a bit. "But… he was passionate… and protective… When I… went back to my mother, I fought him. He stopped trying to convince me to go back, neither did Tsubaki. She was always so kind… and her food was delicious. Ragnarok liked her."

"Who is Ragnarok." Gael asked

"Oh um…He was my weapon partner…" They shift uncomfortably in the bed.

"What was he-" A hand cut of Gael's question. They were a bit grateful for it. Bianca eyed him before looking back at Crona.

"And the others? What were they like?" Crona thought for a moment think who else he had to cover.

"Kid… before he became Lord Death… he always looked so serious… I was a little intimidated when I was accepted into the DWMA, but he tried to make me feel better about it…. He did try to cut my hair twice…"

"Soul was nice. I felt bad for the scar…"

"Wait you did that?!" Crona nodded at Bianca's question. She pondered a bit before focusing on listening to their recollections.

"Despite that… He accepted me into the group… and showed me some good music to listen to…" Only one left…

"Maka… was like a light in my life… She came to help me when I thought no one else would… She never stopped trying to bring me back to a better path… even… even if I never deserved it in the first place… I did so many terrible things and yet she still believed I was worth something more than a witch's child and experiment. She gave me courage to sacrifice my life to seal away Asura…" They looked over at the twins, seeing them cry silently as they stared intently at them. Only once they were fully aware did they feel the tears on their own face had returned. They choked a bit as they rubbed them away.

"I-sorry. I didn't mean to talk so much."

"No. Don't be sorry. Thank you for telling us." Gael looked up at the clock. "We should go… I have homework and Bianca will want her ice cream."

"I'm right here ya know." Crona giggled slightly.

"Thank you… for coming… It's lonely when Angela isn't here…"

"Then… can we come again tomorrow?" Bianca muttered out a bit, Gael looked at her happily. She elbowed him.

"Would you? P-please." Crona seemed a little flustered for asking, hoping they would not get in trouble like the last time.

"Yes! We'll come again tomorrow!" The boy jumped happily about the prospect of talking to the interesting person.

"Thank you… Gael. Bianca." The duo left, leaving Crona in the silence again. The tapping was not present against the window, nor did Crona know when it stopped. The morbid sun peaked through. Light hitting along the floor and a portion of the bed. The low growling from their stomach became less of a concern the longer they stared into the light.

'It was worth it…'


End file.
